While planning for the upcoming Ithaca Reggae Fest at Stewart Park, Michael Mazza made sure every part of the process stayed true to his mission: honoring Cayuga Lake and the history of reggae music in Ithaca.

“New ideas always come up, new people join our team during the planning, and there is always opportunity to go in different directions,” Mazza said. “It’s easy to stray, but we are all committed to staying true to the mission.”

The inaugural event takes place Saturday and features seven of the region’s most popular reggae acts, including Ithaca’s John Brown’s Body, Kevin Kinsella, the Analogue Sons and Bomb Pulse. Food trucks will be on hand, as well as beverages from Ithaca Beer Co. and Wagner Vineyards.

In addition to the music, several environmental and conservation organizations will have booths set up to provide education on Cayuga Lake and the challenges it faces.

The event is also plastic-free. Water will be provided for free for the entire 10-hour event, and Mazza encourages visitors to bring their own water bottles and containers. The public is welcome to bring their own non-alcoholic beverages, but no plastic bottles will be allowed in the festival.

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Stewart Park in Ithaca.(Photo: Matt Weinstein / staff photo)

“Plastic-free goes along with the mission, and we feel very strongly about helping the lake,” Mazza said. “Not necessarily our lake, but there is a ton of plastic water bottles out in the ocean, and most of it comes from single-use plastic.”

Mazza said pre-sale tickets have moved faster than many of his partners expected, and some of his partners estimate a crowd of about 2,000 people. Mazza cautions it is hard to predict because kids 15 and younger are admitted free and do not need a ticket.

A group of about 10 volunteers led by Mazza have worked on planning for the event since last year, with many others stepping in to help along the way. Many of the volunteers are from the Friends of Cayuga Lake conservation group.

“We’re all volunteers; nobody is making money off of this event,” Mazza said. “I am immensely grateful to these people as we make sure this event could be a low-cost event for the community.”

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The concert grounds for the Ithaca Reggae Festival, to be held Saturday at Stewart Park.(Photo: Matt Weinstein / staff photo)

Earlier this week, Mazza said Cornell University let the event borrow several dispensers to plug into the water lines, allowing people to drink.

“It’s just one example of people helping as something comes up along the way,” Mazza said. “It takes a community to pull something like this together.”